The yacht docking area of Wuxi's Taihu Lake. Have you ever imagined piloting a smart yacht on a weekend, navigating through scenic lakes and mountains with the same ease as a leisurely drive? Recently, news that JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong is investing 5 billion yuan to "cross over" into yacht manufacturing has attracted significant attention. He expressed his ambition to eventually produce yachts priced around 100,000 yuan, making yacht ownership as common as car ownership for ordinary families.

Traditionally, yachts in China have been synonymous with luxury. The typical price range of 500,000 to 1 million yuan for mainstream, medium-sized small yachts, coupled with high subsequent maintenance and berthing costs, has been a major deterrent. Liu Qiangdong, who hails from Suqian, Jiangsu, aims to drastically reduce yacht prices and enhance the user experience through a "new energy + smart technology" approach. His goal is to transform yachts from "toys for the wealthy" into accessible weekend companions for the general public.

While Liu Qiangdong envisions the "future" of an individual vessel, Jiangsu province is actively charting a vast, unobstructed "blue ocean" for the entire industry. In December 2025, the Jiangsu Provincial Government issued a notice detailing several measures to promote the development of the yacht sector. This notice outlines 21 specific actions aimed at establishing management regulations and legislation, standardizing club management from the ground up, and directly addressing industry pain points such as difficult launch procedures, chaotic management, and high costs. For instance, the policy explicitly permits yacht clubs to conduct yacht rental pilot programs, lowering the barrier to entry for consumers. Yachts with valid certificates can now be re-registered within the province without on-site inspection. Furthermore, yacht consumption has been included in the scope of transportation-sector loan interest subsidies, providing tangible financial relief for consumers.

Zhang Xin, Vice Minister of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation, highlighted that the province's abundant water resources and its share of over 46% of the national shipbuilding industry provide a solid industrial foundation for yacht design and manufacturing. Additionally, as one of the most economically dynamic and high-consumption regions in the Yangtze River Delta, Jiangsu possesses the economic fundamentals necessary for yachting to transition from a luxury good to a routine leisure activity. Provincial plans explicitly support Wuxi and Suzhou as pilot cities for yacht industry development. Merely three months after the notice was issued, the giant ship of the "yacht economy" is moving from the "drawing board" into the "implementation phase."

As a pilot city, Suzhou has accelerated policy implementation. "The yacht industry is a 'new blue ocean' emerging from the tides of the new era, integrating high-end manufacturing, leisure tourism, and modern services," stated Shi Jiahong, Vice Mayor of Suzhou, during the city's inaugural yacht carnival event. Officials revealed in public interviews that Suzhou will focus on building a "one core, two belts, multiple points" industrial layout. The "core" refers to the Jinji Lake core demonstration zone, while the "two belts" are aquatic leisure belts developed around Taihu Lake and the Grand Canal.

Today, rows of yachts docked along the shores of Jinji Lake have become a striking sight, with many tourists inquiring about boarding prices. From "yachting + sightseeing" to "yachting + weddings," the experience is shifting from passive viewing to active participation, reshaping aquatic consumption scenarios. It is anticipated that more private capital will participate in yacht rentals and tourism development, making yacht consumption as convenient as "hailing a ride."

Wuxi is advancing with comparable speed. Following the "Chasing Waves on Taihu, Sailing into the Future" event in November 2025, Wuxi quickly piloted a policy allowing yacht clubs to offer rentals for vessels carrying 12 people or fewer. This enables ordinary consumers to experience the thrill of "speeding across the water" without the high costs of purchase and upkeep.

Currently, Wuxi has established the "Wuxi Yacht Industry Development Alliance" and inaugurated the "Taihu Lake Water Rescue Training Base." According to relevant plans, the Binhu District of Wuxi is committed to developing the Taihu Lake area into a national water sports and leisure base. By introducing professional rescue services, it aims to safeguard the regular operation of integrated models like "yachting + culture/tourism" and "yachting + sports." The Wuxi Taihu Lake Landscape Yacht Club has already signed agreements with local travel agencies and youth training centers to incorporate yacht experiences into tourist itineraries, allowing residents to "rent a yacht for a weekend day trip on Taihu Lake."

Liu Qiangdong's "5 billion yuan" investment and Jiangsu's "21 measures" might appear as separate events, but they represent a "convergence of efforts" on the eve of a potential boom in China's yacht industry. As technological innovation brings the dream of "100,000-yuan-class" yachts within reach, the "waterways" charted and "consumption scenarios" built by Jiangsu may well become the ideal harbor for this new fleet.

From the shores of Taihu Lake to the banks of Jinji Lake, a transformation and exploration centered on the yacht industry is quietly unfolding across the water-rich landscape of Jiangsu.